Alejandro Agustin Lanusse (28 August 1918-26 August 1996) was President of Argentina from 22 March 1971 to 24 May 1973, succeeding Roberto M. Levingston and preceding Hector Jose Campora.
Biography[]
Alejandro Agustin Lanusse Gelly was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 28 August 1918, and he graduated from the army academy in 1938. In 1951, he was sentenced to life imprisonment for taking part in a failed coup against Juan Peron, but he was released after Peron's overthrow in 1955. He became ambassador to the Vatican City in 1956, and, in 1962, he took part in the coup against President Arturo Frondizi and then in the 1966 coup against Arturo Umberto Illia. In 1968, he became commander-in-chief of the army, and, in 1971, he seized power from military dictator Roberto M. Levingston to become the new President. He had several fugitive guerrillas executed after they escaped from the Naval Base of Rawson, but he allowed for presidential elections to be held in 1973, leading to Hector Jose Campora being elected. He died in 1996.